a thanksgiving post

let's have a chatty-chat about a few things i'm exceptionally thankful for this 2012:

boom: this gal

oh my. she rocks my socks off. and who knew a pair of bebe tights could be so stinkin' adorable.

and who knew that a hat with a ball on it could look this good. and might i add...this chica can rock some polka-dots. that's for sure.

boom: binkies (*please reference the photo above*)

the day i get that bink to stay in her mouth is the day i've won the mothering gold medal. they say that a bebe who sucks a bink at night has a reduced risk of SIDS.

(SIDS being that terrifying anomaly that nobody is quite sure what causes it, but manages to terrify all new mothers on a nightly basis.)

so we work on getting that bink in her mouth each night. we've tried three different brands but the soothie seems to be the ticket. she'll get a disgusted look on her face for the first 20 seconds and if you rub her cheek the entire time, she'll keep it in.

boom: mild sleep deprivation

she sleeps. i cuddle. i know i'm supposed to sleep when she sleeps...but moments like this make it difficult. i mostly just want to lay there with her and relish in the cuddles and feeling her breathe. who knew i would be this person??? not me.

boom: this guy

he wins the husbandry/fathering gold medal already. each night i'll try to hit the sack around 9 pm to get my eyeballs shut for an uninterrupted three hours until she starts grunting and thrashing (ie. ready to eat).

seriously...no tears. no crying. just a lot of grunting, thrashing and back-arching. similar to what i do when i'm hungry...interesting.

so my farmer will swaddle her, entertain her, bounce her, and cuddle her until about midnight or midnight:30. it's a little routine we've settled into. sometimes it works like magic and the three of us wake up well rested. then about 25% of the time all bets are off and she's on her own schedule and i'm somewhat of a monster the next day. that's another lesson for another day.

regardless...my farmer busted out 7.1 million pounds of combined corn seen here:

from what i understand, corn harvest is ridiculously stressful. but my farmer, that guy...he's something else. he can do the jobs of five guys all while letting miss kaye and me ride shotgun:

(pardon the face. she's working on her camera-ready look.)

boom: hats with animal ears

my gal can pull off a hat...including this little towel that looks like a lamb. am i right or am i right?

i'm right.

and lastly, for now...

boom: two thanksgiving dinners!
my farmer and i are lucky to have both our families close enough to enjoy holidays with both of them.

farmer's parents were wonderful enough to cook us dinner on wednesday and then we headed out yonder to spend the actual holiday with my family.

anything to get me off the hook from cooking. the three hour round trip drive was well worth it.

happy day-after thanksgiving, y'all!

pardon my broken neck and awkward smile. i guess kaye and i are both working on our camera-ready faces.

You need to get her a "Wubbanub" to keep her binkie in! Worked wonders for my son and when they are old enough to grab the binkie and put it back in themselves, it gives them something bigger to hold onto!

Oh, your little lady is so stinking cute! I love it! And what a great list. I have to agree completely with the hats with ears...nothing could be cuter. My kid's going to be wearing hats with ears until he's in high school. :)